A Solution to Chocolate Cravings for Low-Carbers?

Ah, Christmas… Someone somewhere in the land of global food production decided that Christmas should be synonymous with chocolate.

From chocolate Santas to selection boxes and low-priced giant boxes of Quality Street, Celebrations, Miniature Heroes et all, chocolate is all around us.

[And as soon as it’s over, watch your supermarket rush to stock up on Easter eggs and chocolate bunny rabbits.]

I tried a new recipe out over Christmas that I found on Maria’s Mind, Body, Health – a ketogenic lifestyle website – which was billed as a kind of fudge recipe.

I didn’t find the recipe gave a fudge-like texture or taste (unlike this recipe here), but stored in the freezer it does take on chocolate-like consistency, including a snap when you break it apart.

This recipe doesn’t make large quantities (and like many low-carb sweet recipes, it is pricey to make) but it is very rich and pretty calorific, thanks to the large amounts of fat it contains. I’ve suggested that it will give you roughly six servings, with a carb count of approximately 6g per serving.

Low-Carb Chocolate

• Servings: 6
• Time: 1 hour 20 mins (including chilling time)
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 250g coconut oil (1 cup)
• 75mls full-fat coconut milk (1/4 cup)*
• 2-3tbsp granulated sweetener (about ¼ cup)
• 3tbsp unsweetened cocoa or cacoa powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2tsp vanilla extract

1. Line a small, square baking tray (about 8ins or 20cm square) with baking parchment.
2. Place the coconut oil and coconut milk in a large non-metallic bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds, just to soften the oil sufficiently.
3. Mix well with an electric mixer and add the sweetener, vanilla extract and salt. Add the cocoa or cacoa powder and mix gently with the mixer switched off until it is mostly mixed in and then put the mixer back on and mix until well combined. You should have a very glossy, smooth mix.
4. Pour into the prepared tray and tap gently to even it out. Place the tray in the freezer and leave for about an hour/one hour and 15 mins.
5. Tip the “chocolate” out of the tray and break into pieces. Store it in small bags in the freezer. You can eat it straight from the freezer (eating it so cold also minimises the after-taste you get from sweeteners).

*To avoid wasting coconut milk (which you usually buy in tins), buy creamed coconut and make up the amount you need. 100g creamed coconut dissolved in 400ml boiling water makes 400ml coconut milk, so roughly 20g creamed coconut will make 75ml.

Of course, you could always buy yourself some very strong plain chocolate – 85 percent cocoa solids chocolate is much lower in sugar than normal, commercial chocolate for example – but where’s the fun in that?! In addition, this recipe gives you dairy-free, gluten-free and soya free chocolate.